Overview
The Senate and House Budget Committees – using the President’s Budget request, information from their own hearings, views and estimates from other committees of Congress, and projections from the Congressional Budget Office – draft their respective versions of a “Congressional Budget Resolution” in a series of working meetings known as committee “mark-ups.”
The Budget Resolution does not become a law and therefore is not presented to the President for signature. Rather, it is a congressional blueprint to guide subsequent action on specific spending and revenue measures.
The Budget Resolution:
- Sets total federal spending and revenue levels;
- Allocates spending to each Committee, including a lump-sum to the Appropriations Committee for all “discretionary” spending;
- Establishes procedures to enforce the budget blueprint; and
- May include optional special provisions called “budget reconciliation instructions” aimed at expediting changes to mandatory spending programs or tax laws through a filibuster-proof Budget Reconciliation Bill.
Deeming Resolutions: In years when the House and Senate have not reached agreement on a Budget Resolution, the House and Senate have sometimes adopted “deeming resolutions” to serve in place of an annual budget resolution for the purposes of establishing enforceable budget levels for the upcoming fiscal year.
For additional background on Budget Resolutions, Deeming Resolutions, Budget Reconciliation, and the Budget Process see TRILLIONS: A Primer on the U.S. Debt Ceiling, Federal Spending, Taxes, and Fiscal Law (LexisNexis, July 2023 release).
Historical Database: Budget Resolutions, Deeming Resolutions, Reconciliation Bills
*If this document has not yet been uploaded to Congress.gov, you will find it at https://congressional.proquest.com/congressional or you may find it at the following public sites: https://govinfo.gov or https://books.google.com/advanced_book_search?hl=en.
^Notation indicates a committee report associated with an earlier version of the budget resolution for that fiscal year.
[1] Beginning with the upcoming (budget) year.
[2] This column displays “deeming” resolutions (or similar provisions in bills) that are adopted for fiscal years in which Congress did not complete action on a concurrent resolution on the budget, or in which the budget resolution was late.
[3] “Reserve funds” refer to establish procedures to revise budget levels (aggregates and committee allocations) for specified legislation if a condition is met (such as being deficit neutral or upon enactment of authorizing legislation). For additional information on reserve funds see Appendix I.
[4] Declaratory provisions refers to “Sense of Congress,” “Sense of Senate,” “Sense of House of Representatives,” or “Policy Statement” provisions.
[5] As of October 1, 2022
[6] For background, see: https://budget.house.gov/publications/report/fy23-deeming-resolution-supporting-appropriations-process#:~:text=The%20deeming%20resolution%2C%20or%20%E2%80%9Cdeemer%2C%E2%80%9D%20supports%20President%20Biden%E2%80%99s,a%209%20percent%20increase%20from%20FY22%20enacted%20levels.
[7] For note on conference action, see “Budget Resolutions” note at: https://crsreports.congress.gov/AppropriationsStatusTable?id=2022.
[8] For note on conference action, see “Budget Resolutions” note at: https://crsreports.congress.gov/AppropriationsStatusTable?id=2021.
[9] Beginning with the upcoming (budget) year.
[10] This column displays “deeming” resolutions (or similar provisions in bills) that are adopted for fiscal years in which Congress did not complete action on a concurrent resolution on the budget, or in which the budget resolution was late.
[11] “Reserve funds” refer to establish procedures to revise budget levels (aggregates and committee allocations) for specified legislation if a condition is met (such as being deficit neutral or upon enactment of authorizing legislation).
[12] Declaratory provisions refers to “Sense of Congress,” “Sense of Senate,” “Sense of House of Representatives,” or “Policy Statement” provisions.
[13] Conference report on S.Con.Res. 95 was not considered by the Senate. See https://crsreports.congress.gov/AppropriationsStatusTable?id=2005. In the absence of an agreement on the FY2005 budget resolution, the House and Senate separately adopted deeming resolutions for budget enforcement purposes.
[14] Beginning with the upcoming (budget) year.
[15] This column displays “deeming” resolutions (or similar provisions in bills) that are adopted for fiscal years in which Congress did not complete action on a concurrent resolution on the budget, or in which the budget resolution was late.
[16] “Reserve funds” refer to establish procedures to revise budget levels (aggregates and committee allocations) for specified legislation if a condition is met (such as being deficit neutral or upon enactment of authorizing legislation).
[17] Declaratory provisions refers to “Sense of Congress,” “Sense of Senate,” “Sense of House of Representatives,” or “Policy Statement” provisions.
[18] Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, Pub. L. No. 104-193.
[19] Beginning with the upcoming (budget) year.
[20] This column displays “deeming” resolutions (or similar provisions in bills) that are adopted for fiscal years in which Congress did not complete action on a concurrent resolution on the budget, or in which the budget resolution was late.
[21] “Reserve funds” refer to establish procedures to revise budget levels (aggregates and committee allocations) for specified legislation if a condition is met (such as being deficit neutral or upon enactment of authorizing legislation).
[22] Declaratory provisions refers to “Sense of Congress,” “Sense of Senate,” “Sense of House of Representatives,” or “Policy Statement” provisions.
[23] Beginning with the upcoming (budget) year.
[24] This column displays “deeming” resolutions (or similar provisions in bills) that are adopted for fiscal years in which Congress did not complete action on a concurrent resolution on the budget, or in which the budget resolution was late.
[25] “Reserve funds” permit revision of budget levels (aggregates and committee allocations) for specified legislation if specified conditions are met (such as being deficit-neutral).
[26] Declaratory provisions refers to “Sense of Congress,” “Sense of Senate,” and “Sense of House of Representatives” provisions.
[27] Budget resolution conference report (S.Rept. 96-399) to accompany S.Con.Res. 36 was not adopted.